Unexpected disruptions
by abelkd71
Summary: When Kaoru is too distracted from his host club duties, it's up to Hikaru to figure out what the problem is but once it starts making him sneeze his new goal is trying to get the younger twin to stop.


It was just another day at Ouran High School with the activity at the host club as busy as ever that had all the hosts utilizing their own techniques to please the young ladies however the typical routine of 2 hosts in particular wasn't turning out the way it usually did. The twins were in the presence of several clients but while the older one was trying his best to turn on his charms to the highest level, for some reason he wasn't on the same wavelength. Occasionally they had days where they were slightly out of sync although it was never as bad as this since Hikaru ended up doing all of the talking while Kaoru sat there next to him in a silent daze. Of course none of the girls noticed this peculiarity as a result of being too overwhelmed by their forbidden brotherly love which only was reciprocated one way because his brother didn't seem to be getting into it, leaving him to put on the clever ruse of interacting in the way their customers expected. Every so often, he would poke him in a ticklish spot that earned a smile which he responded to in the manner they went crazy over but even if doing all of the work wasn't exhausting enough, he needed to resist the urge to act abnormal himself by worrying too much about his little brother. Finally when the time with their current clients was over, instead of waiting for the next one, Hikaru stood up taking Kaoru with him and moved to the isolated spot in music room #3 of a windowsill where they could sit down in front of the beautiful school grounds and he could figure out what was wrong. For a few moments, he went along with the silence to see if he would be able to determine the problem without talking to him and he caught the sight of their leader who was wondering why they stopped working however after exchanging glances, he moved along with the message host club duties were 2nd to making sure his sibling was alright coming through clear. His concern was becoming paranoia that the unresponsiveness stemmed from something he did because even wrapping his arms around him in a loving embrace wasn't breaking his dazed state now but there was 1 last tactic he used to bring back his focus: tenderly whispering in his ear to initiate the conversation, which had the unexpected affect of causing him to be caught off guard rather than soothed.

"What's gotten into you?"

"N-nothing…"

"Don't you like being amorous with me?"

"Of course I do… it's just-"

"You know how important it is for us to put on a good show for our customers, but it's even more important to express how much we care about each other."

"I know and there isn't any way I can tell you how much… I need some space, now."

"Please don't push me away."

"You don't understand. I have to-"

"What could you possibly have to do that's more important than having a deep, meaningful conversation with your brother?"

Hikaru waited once again for a reply but it seemed Kaoru returned to being silent and he began to think it was hopeless to get the explanation for his unusual behavior although all the things that happened next pointed him in the right direction. As a result of being in contact with him the older twin felt his body start to quiver with the origin of it located in his chest as it heaved rapidly and that made him look into his eyes just in time to see them close while simultaneously his lips parted slightly. Then his head tilted back with that expression stuck for a few moments until his nose wrinkled and finally the release occurred, as he turned away to made sure not to spray the moisture on him, which produced a sound that was soft yet forceful at the same time. It took a little bit to recover except once he overcame the lightheadedness a new sensation of surprise replaced it and he slowly met his gaze to see he had the exact same stunned look from witnessing that sudden action. There was a light flush spread across his cheeks due to becoming embarrassed while he tried to keep the urge to sniffle too much under control although as for the other sibling he got over the initial shock to offer a caring smile that covered up the seductive one from being overwhelmed by his cute sneeze.

"Bless you, Kaoru. Hold still," he instructed before taking out a handkerchief from his pocket to bring up to his nose which he blew softly into and once he finished, his twin adjusted positions by pressing the front part of his torso against his back, wrapping his arms around his stomach and resting his chin on his shoulder in order to give him the space he previously requested, "Now I see what's going on. My baby brother is coming down with a cold."

"No I'm not."

"There's no reason to deny it."

"Please Hikaru, I would know if I'm sick."

"You haven't been acting like yourself. What other explanation could there be? You don't have to hide the fact you're not feeling well from me."

"It's true I don't feel well… but I don't have a cold, I promise. Everything else's fine: no fever, sore throat, coughing, body aches, headache except…"

"Go on, just say it. You can tell me anything," he assured with another session of silence taking hold that was beginning to make him frustrated until he realized his brother had to sneeze again although this time his body shook even more and the sound was softer since he stifled it, "Bless you."

"Thank you… my nose tickles."

"What, is that all?"

"I know it doesn't seem like a big deal and you might even think it's funny but I'm really bothered by-"

"Shh, it's okay. I would never make fun of you for anything and I understand this is a concern I need to take seriously. Tell me, how long have you been feeling this way?"

"I'm not sure, maybe since this morning."

"You've been suffering all that time and haven't said a word to me about it until now? That's unacceptable!"

"I thought it would go away and I was doing a good job of-" he started to rationalize however was interrupted by another stifled sneeze and he was determined to finish the rest of his explanation with only a quick nod to his twin's blessing, "Hiding it but I couldn't. I know I haven't been focused on our work but you wouldn't believe how distracting it is to constantly have this tickling sensation in your nose. I'm sor-"

"It doesn't matter. I'm just mad at you for not letting me know something was bothering you."

"You don't need to know everything that's going on with me and I didn't want to trouble you."

"Oh Kaoru, it's my job as your older brother to be troubled over you because if you feel uncomfortable, then I do too."

"Hikaru…"

"So then, your nose is tickling. Maybe you have allergies."

"Our bodies are the same. If I was allergic to something, you would be too."

"That's right. I feel fine."

"At least 1 of us does."

"I can help make it stop."

"How?"

"It's just a matter of getting rid of the irritation. Here, don't move."

Whatever his plan was, he knew it couldn't end up well for him but there wasn't any time to refuse since he went about his tactic immediately: using his finger to gently trace around the outside of his nose with intentions of alleviating the tickle however he experienced the opposite reaction of having it grow stronger until he broke into a sneezing fit. Even though Hikaru took his hand away just in time, Kaoru still took the precaution of tightly clamping a hand over his mouth while pinching his nose closed although it was done more to eliminate the sound. By the time it was over and he let out a sigh of exhaustion mixed with frustration he felt really guilty for putting him through that except seeing the angry stare directed towards him suggested he wasn't in the mood to accept any sympathy.

"Sorry, I thought that would work."

"Well obviously it didn't and now I'm worse off than I ever was!"

"I said I was sorry. It's not like you to get mad."

"You can't understand how awful this is. We're supposed to be gentlemen, a certain type of man that's endearing, graceful, dignified and always able to entertain a woman."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. This isn't in your control."

"Exactly, I'm being an embarrassment over something I can't take control over. It's also really uncomfortable because my nose feels like it's about to fall off. But the worst thing is I can't imagine what you must think of me now."

"My opinion of you has never been anything but positive, even now. We need to find a way to get your nose back to normal. Maybe if you experience a shock or hold your breath like what you do to cure hiccups that'll make it stop. But until then you really shouldn't keep stifling your sneezes. It's not good for you and I-"

"Give me your handkerchief back."

He was surprised by the sudden interjection which he complied with although it was even more of a shock when he moved so they were now facing each other that made it possible for him to observe the same indicators of his breath hitching, eyes closing and mouth opening before he pressed the cloth against his face to contain his 2nd sneezing attack. With his body jerking forward each time it happened, he eventually ended up having his head collapse into his brother's chest however he placed his hands on the ailing twin to steady him and rub his back to counteract the unpleasantness with some comfort. After it was done, Kaoru remained in that buried position unable to continue on after that humiliating display but Hikaru gently pushed him back, so they could look each other in the eyes as he brushed the hair away that fell out of place, conveying the mixed sentiments of compassion and the assurance to not to be ashamed in front of him.

"Bless you. This is really taking it out of you, isn't it?"

"Yeah… I want you to help me but I don't think there's anything that can be done about it. Still, I can't go on much longer like this. We need to get back to work. Maybe I'll get some sympathy from the customers. I just need to let go of my pride and accept the fact I'm going to disgrace myself."

"No, I refuse to let that happen! I'm your brother. I'm supposed to protect you and keep you from compromising your values. Don't worry Kaoru, I have 1 more idea that's sure to work but in order to do it, we need to be completely separated from all these people. I'll handle everything."

It felt nice to put all his trust in him even if his overconfidence was becoming unsettling but once again he was startled by his next unpredictable solution: scooping him up in his arms then trying to find a way to get out of the room without calling too much attention to themselves. They got off to a shaky start although when Hikaru was on his feet with Kaoru staring up at him in awe they managed to reach the door undetected, about to leave until 1 of the female students acknowledged them, which forced him to turn around and hide any distress.

"Umm… excuse me? I have been waiting 10 minutes for our appointment and I'm really looking forward to it. But… why are you holding him like that?"

"Well you see…" Hikaru began to answer except he couldn't think of a good excuse and his instinctive reaction was to panic which Kaoru sensed by feeling him slowly reach for the door handle although in spite of suffering through the distraction of his tickling nose along with the threat of it forcing him to sneeze he was capable of picking up where he left off, "I'm sorry Princess. We would be more than happy to spend time with you but… I have been very bad."

The girl started to blush after hearing his seductive tone, and so did Hikaru since he wasn't expecting that but after looking down to see him wink the suggestion of playing along to tease this customer long enough so they could escape got through, "That's right. You wouldn't believe the night we had together. He was tossing and turning so much that neither of us had a lot of sleep. As a matter of fact, he's so tired he can barely stand and that's why I'm carrying him."

"Ah Hikaru, I feel very fortunate to have a brother who takes care of me."

"I'll always take care of you, Kaoru."

"Such brotherly devotion."

"Still, I know my behavior is inexcusable."

"Yes, it is. I might have to give you a dose of tough love and the things we'll do together are too unsuitable for such a pure, young woman to witness."

"Oh my… I hope you won't be too rough with each other."

"There's no need to worry because that's the best thing about brothers."

"No matter what happens, we'll always share this special relationship that's closer than any other one until the end."

"Now we really must be going but we can spend time with you tomorrow, promise."

It took the sight of both their gorgeous smiles directed at her to finally be alone again which turned into expressions of relief that unfortunately only lasted a minute because they were intercepted from exiting the room for a 2nd time caused by the leader placing a hand on each of their shoulders then giving a disapproving glare, "Where do you think you 2 are going? I could tolerate a small break but there's no way I'll let you skip out on your responsibilities. How can you even call yourselves hosts when you neglect the ladies that keep us in business?"

"Hey Tamaki, I got something to tell you."

"Make it quick."

"No no, come closer."

"Okay…"

"Closer still, I want to whisper it to you."

"Listen, there's no time for this. We're very-"

"If you don't let us leave now, I'm going to sneeze right in your face."

The statement left him immensely confused, then disgusted, then confident that he was only bluffing with a very random threat however it was proven true when he went through the irrefutable pre-sneeze indications except at the last second, he turned away so instead of aiming the spray at him it was directed into his brother's torso. Kaoru felt embarrassed since no matter what he said, he couldn't muster up enough disrespect to sneeze on their president but felt bad he did it on Hikaru although his understanding smile made him relax before it shifted to Tamaki and turned into a mischievous one, letting him know to consider that a warning for next time which he took very seriously.

"Uh… bless you?"

"Thank you, Tamaki. So what do you say?"

"Sure, whatever you want. I'll see you both tomorrow."

At last the twins were able to be on their way, leaving him dumbfounded at that bizarre occurrence which he needed to shake off in order to continue on with the club activities, while they couldn't stop laughing at that brilliant plan but their walk through the halls brought a peaceful feeling among them, especially since there weren't any students to catch them in that intimate position. Despite Kaoru still thinking it was unnecessary to be carried, the gentle bouncing motion he felt with each step Hikaru took was beginning to make him feel relaxed to the point of falling asleep if it weren't for that unrelenting tickling and he could sense his misery, causing him to be upset his little brother was enduring this however the consoling thought of being sure his next method would put an end to it for good gave him enough focus to concentrate on getting to their location. He opened the door, although making sure to quickly close it behind them, and moving to the center of the room which looked like a lounge since there wasn't much of anything inside but the seclusion made it the perfect area for his idea that confused him as he was allowed to stand on his own.

"What are we going to do here?"

"Do you still have that handkerchief I gave you?"

"Yeah."

"Good, we have been going about this all wrong. Your nose is tickling so it makes sense if you just go along with what your body is trying to do naturally, getting that feeling out, it'll stop."

"But that's what I have been doing. I keep sneezing."

"No, you're not doing it right otherwise it would have stopped now. It's still bothering you, right?"

"You know it is."

"Don't be testy with me. I promise this is going to be it. Just blow your nose as forceful as you can and if, or should I say when, you sneeze don't hold anything back. Really make it a big one."

"Hikaru I-"

"Come on, it's just me here with you. This is exhausting for you but it's making me exhausted too. I can't stand seeing you in such pain anymore. I want you to get back to normal and feel better."

"Fine, I'll do it."

He sighed in order to prepare himself for what he was about to do and started off by rubbing his nose through the handkerchief but it was only an automatic reaction to blow into it as he attempted a conscious effort to do it vigorously even though the sound made him cringe. However, once he finished there was a significant improvement that caused him to want to do it again except after that 2nd time he was overpowered with the urge to sneeze and since his twin's advice had worked so far he decided to exaggerate the symptoms by taking gasping breaths, shutting his eyes tight, opening his mouth wide and arching his back all of which seemed to be beneficial until the delivery arrived. It burst out of Kaoru with such intensity he lost his balance which would have caused him to fall if Hikaru hadn't reacted quickly by reaching out to catch him although based on his unchanged expression he wasn't done due to another harsh sneeze occurring that made both their bodies shake. It looked as though that was the last one due to the fact he lowered the handkerchief from his face which should have brought a sense of relief except seeing his red nose, tearing eyes and dazed stare made him feel guilty for pressuring him to do that when he knew it was embarrassing to be that loud.

"Bless you… I'm sorry. I thought-"

"Thank you, thank you brother. You were right. It's gone. I feel so much better. You're the best," he praised before giving him a hug that he eagerly returned, proving he only needed a little time to recover rather than being mad and after a few seconds of their warm embrace a thought occurred to the younger twin which compelled him to pull away then express it to him, "So I guess we should go back to the club now."

"You heard what he said: he'll see us tomorrow. After that intense display, I bet you could use a little rest before we go home."

He nodded before being escorted over to a nearby couch where they lied down with Kaoru draped on top of Hikaru, their arms wrapped around each other although just as he was about to fall asleep something disturbed the tranquility. His body started to tremble which caused him to look up at his older twin right as he turned away to avoid spraying him and in addition to noticing how his sneezes had the exact opposite qualities of being very sudden and loud he couldn't help smiling at the irony of him being the one who was doing it. After shaking his head to get rid of the disorientation and using the handkerchief that was returned, he glanced at him annoyed because he knew this wasn't something that was about to be overlooked as he would have preferred since it felt strange to be vulnerable and have his typically vulnerable brother be the strong one to comfort him which was his role.

"Bless you. Are we going to have to go through the same thing with you now?"

"No, because unlike you I felt a tickle in my nose then immediately got it out. If you had done that this morning, we could have avoided all of this."

"But you know it wasn't that easy for me. I wouldn't have done it unless you pushed me."

"I'm aware of that and I understand nothing I can say is going to change you, not that the way you are isn't perfectly fine, but you shouldn't be so embarrassed about this."

"We're supposed to be gentlemen and that type of behavior isn't appropriate. Besides, I don't particularly like-"

"Let me tell you something: I think the way you sneeze is very cute," he amorously commented which left him speechless, unsure of how to respond but instead he was pulled back into his twin's grasp as he gave the tip of his nose a kiss before they accepted the comforting relief of sleep.


End file.
